Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal in Assam’s Jogighopa on February 18, 2025. Photo: X/@sarbanandsonwal
Union Minister of Ports, Shipping and Waterways Sarbananda Sonowal on Tuesday (February 18, 2025) inaugurated an Inland Waterways Terminal (IWT) on Brahmaputra in Assam’s Jogighopa.
To mark the occasion, the Minister flagged off two ships, MV Padma Navigation-II and MV Trishul, and two barges, Ajay and Dikshu, which set sail for Bangladesh carrying 110 metric tonnes of coal and stone chips.
The new terminal built at a cost of ₹82.03 crore will play a major role in logistics and connectivity of Eastern India and boost trilateral trade between India, Bhutan and Bangladesh, Mr. Sonowal said.
The IWT is an important port of call for trade with Bangladesh given the MoU signed between India & Bangladesh for developing economic corridor under Bharatmala Programme with Dalu-Tura-Goalpara-Gelephu multimodal trade route. The Jogighopa terminal is one of the declared Ports of call under Protocol on Inland Water Transit and Trade (PIWTT) between India and Bangladesh. The terminal is at a distance of 108 km from Bandladesh border and 147 km from Guwahati by IWT. Also, it is just 91 km from Gelephu Bhutan (Gelephu Mindfulness City) where a modern city is under development.
The foundation stone for the terminal was laid by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in February, 2021. Spread over 15 acres, the terminal is connected to Multi-modal Logistic Parks (MMLP) at Jogighopa with a four-lane road and adjacent to NH-17.
The terminal is connected to Bangladesh, Barak valley of North East as well as other part of India through IBP route connecting at Kolkata/Haldia. The initial capacity of the terminal is 1.1 MTPA and primary commodities expected to be handled include food grain, fertilizers, tar coal/bitumen, crude oil, edible oil, fly ash, imported coal and stone chips. A railway link is also proposed to be established connecting Jogighopa terminal with MMLP.
“The IWT terminal at Jogighopa is set to transform the connectivity in the region and bolster our trilateral trade with Bhutan and Bangladesh. It’s strategic position allows it to play the role of an economic multiplier for the region…,” Mr. Sonowal said.
In the Northeast, projects such as comprehensive Development of National Waterway-2, ship repair facility at Pandu, Bogibeel terminal development, last mile connectivity to Pandu are some of the projects which are currently in different stages of development. With huge investments envisaged for development of North-Eastern waterways, it stands as a resounding testament to the critical role of these waterways in propelling economic growth and prosperity, the Minister stated adding that operationalisation of the new IWT Terminal at Jogighopa is a step in that direction.
The ceremony was attended by Lyonpo Namgyal Dorji, Minister of Industries, Commerce and Employment of Bhutan.
The IWT sector has experienced an unprecedented surge in terms of trade and transport in the past decade, the Ministry said in a statement. “There has been a 767% increase in number of operational national waterways, 727% increase in volume of cargo handled on NWs, a phenomenal rise of 62% in multi-modal terminals with 860% increase in budget allocation for Inland Waterways.” Further, the Ministry said that cargo traffic on national waterways has witnessed an exponential growth in the last 20 years – from 18 million tonnes a decade ago to 133 million tonnes in FY 2023-24 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of over 22%.
Published – February 18, 2025 09:28 pm IST